Christmas Memories

Todd and I on Christmas morning...

Have I mentioned lately that I love this man more today than ever before? I thank God for him! :)

It is Christmas evening as I type. This was the best Christmas I can remember...ever. I am trying to put my finger on why exactly and I have come to the conclusion it is a combination of many things. Treasured time with my family is at the top of the list. I had almost an entire week off with my girls before Christmas. We played, cleaned, shopped and spent time together just being. Todd's first day off was Friday. He gets to spend all next week with us as he is off. Presents were so much fun this year! Emma loved the whole process of decorating for Christmas, shopping and then preparing for the big day. The girls received everything they wished for and so did their mom :) which made for a magical Christmas morning. We had our traditional Christmas breakfast that I have made for the last 16 years since Todd and I have been married...orange sweet rolls. This is the second year that we have done Christmas with Mom on Christmas Eve... and I LOVE it! Our Christmas Day, just us, is so relaxed and chill. We can nap (if we want...we didn't this year), eat whatever we choose and whenever...it is fabulous. Today, we took the girls to see Tangled @ Cinemark in Tulsa. We rarely go to movies. We usually just watch them at home... $42 later, I know why that is but it was worth it today! We all loved it and had so much fun! We came home and cleaned up from the Christmas explosion. We grilled steaks for dinner, then Katherine and I baked cookies. It was an ultra relaxed day and those are few in this busy life. I just tucked the girls into bed so they can be well rested for church tomorrow. I wish I could remember the details of this day forever... the look on Emma's face this morning as she opened each present with excitement, Katherine's reaction when Todd brought her electric scooter down the stairs, Todd's sweet look as he watched Emma during the movie. Maybe this blog will help me etch all these memories in my mind forever...that would be the best gift of all. Merry Christmas!

Together We Can

I have been thinking about how to explain the power of collaboration from a teaching/learning perspective. I hope I can convey my most passionate feelings about it! I am ecstatic that the "bigwigs" in education are now looking at research about the benefits (to teachers, students and parents) when rich collaboration between educational professionals takes place. Collaboration is NOT just planning together, it really isn't. I always thought that when you plan with a team of teachers, you have similar goals and expectations that it was true and meaningful collaboration but really that is PLANNING. The dictionary says collaboration is "the act of working together on a joint project". Hum... working together is a greater aspiration than planning because it involves the work (mentally, creatively, physically and sometimes spiritually) done together. I don't think I ever really got that before this school year. I always said I collaborated when I sent copies for other people. Um...that is just sending copies, not digging deeply into "How could be do this better, more successfully, more creatively and in a more meaningful way???". Before you can collaborate, you have to self-reflect...deeply and critically. Collaboration is an amazing thing when it is two or more people digging deeply into their thoughts, explaining their goals and why the goals are important. It is being willing to concede when another's idea is better than yours. It is offering all you have for the common goal(s) set. It is planning, prepping and executing the plan together completely. It can be time consuming and involves personal sacrifice. I now understand what collaboration is and I will never want to teach any other way. I am so thankful for the opportunity to be part of a SMART COMMUNITY where I feel like a co-teacher who is valued, respected and appreciated. Collaboration is giving as much as you are given. Collaboration is my newest passion!

Life is a journey...make it an ADVENTURE!!!

National Board Certification is not for the easily afraid...

and it is so much more fun when you have a friend to do it with you!!

Well... I have caught myself being very reflective in the last few days. I've been thinking about my journey to National Board Certification. I have blogged about many of the other important accomplishments in my life...friendship, family (being a mom, a wife, a daughter), about teaching and football. Tonight, it is National Board. Why? Well... It has been 5 years since I found myself going through the process and doing daily soul searching, constant reflective teaching and more planning than ever before...the kind that everything is new and not even written about anywhere, inventive planning. What a challenging year that was for me. I was pregnant, a wife and a mother of a 5 year old. I learned so much about myself during the fall of 2005 and spring of 2006. I won't take anything for the teacher I have become after GROWING through the process. So many teachers are like "Really? Are you totally insane? You spent 1000 hours on National Board?" Yes, you read that right, one thousand hours. Here is the deal... if you know me, then you know I am HIGHLY, DEEPLY competitive... I didn't want to 'pass", I wanted to out score everyone I knew. I poured myself into the process planning to gain huge insights into my teaching and hoping to criticize my weakest areas. I did both so the reward in the end is with my students. They get a more polished teacher (who still has tons of growth room and needs more polishing). National Board is a process that you literally get out of it what you put into it. It is the hardest, most rewarding, exhausting, mentally challenging, physically demanding, time consuming and genuinely most meaningful professional process I have ever been involved in. I am an accomplished teacher and folks, I earned it. Am I here tooting my own horn...no, I am here reflecting on this process because I am doing it again. I am doing it again because it is so amazing and Kelly is pursuing her own certification as an EC GEN. (That is Early Childhood Generalist) You might be thinking... WHY in the world would you go through the process if you are ALREADY certified. Glad you asked... it is about purpose, my purpose as an educator. It is also about being who I claim to be. I am a team player and a devoted friend who promised to be there for each step if Kelly jumped into the process. It is so COOL to see her shining and surprising herself with her teaching ability. It is just as awesome to see her analyzing her teaching  on such a deep level and realizing on her own where her focus needs to be. If I learned so much the first time, if it was a life-changing experience... why wouldn't I do it again? It is going to be an amazing journey and I am thrilled to be along for the ride this time. I thank God for the opportunities HE affords me to grow more than I expect, more than I deserve and so much deeper than I knew was possible. My goal this time is not certification... it is inspiration! Go Kelly GO!!!!!!!!!!

 

Kelly and I teaching together in our SMART Community.

We teach Morning Meeting together every morning using Kelly's SMART Board.

It is cool to see how our classes have formed such a strong bond!

ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday I got to go to my FIRST EVER BAMA game in Arkansas!!! It was SO FUN! Kelly and I drove up on Saturday morning early and had plenty of time to find parking, eat lunch and walk to the stadium. It was so unreal really... a sea of RED A shirts everywhere!! Our seats were in the BAMA section but we were still surrounded by many proud AND LOUD razorback fans. Bummer for them. The game was a real nail-biter! Bama pulled away in the 4th quarter after being behind the whole game. Defense is what separates the champions from the rest... it was so apparent yesterday. I finally got to hear "RAMMER JAMMER YELLOW HAMMER" in person. I started smiling when we crossed the Arkansas border and only stopped in the 3 quarter when I was REALLY nervous. I have always been an alto but today in church, I was a base!!! My voice is VERY deep from all the yelling I did. My new dream is to go to a game IN ALABAMA. I want to go see MY TIDE play at home... and to be honest, I have other motives too. I want to see where Kelly is from. I want to see all the places she loves and talks about so often. My new goal is tickets to the Alabama/Auburn game on the Saturday of Thanksgiving Break. I broke the news to Todd that if I score a ticket... I will be in Alabama for that game. I am smiling just thinking about it! :)

I know football is great... but I have never understood all the fuss about it until the last year. I LOVE it!!!!! Is it Alabama football? Is it the cookies I have an excuse to bake each week? Is it time with my family and best friends? Hum... YEP! It is all of those things. I LOVE ALABAMA FOOTBALL and hear me now, I bleed crimson for MY TIDE. Win, Lose or Draw Baby... I love BAMA! WOO HOO!!!!

I am so blessed to have a friend to share EVERYTHING with... our faith, our families, football, our careers, our joys and our sorrows. It is amazing... and I loved sharing my first BAMA game with Kelly. I wouldn't have gone without her! 

BAMA IS THE BOMB!

Life changes...all the time!

Reflecting tonight on life... It is amazing how much can change in a week. Katherine was gone to camp for 6 days and just returned home tonight. She has been apart of our lives for 11 years (9 months of that in my belly) and there is a huge hole in our family when she is gone. We are so thankful to have her in our lives. She adds sugar and spice...everything outgoing and social, somewhat dramatic and sassy. Life just isn't the same without her at home.

While she was gone to camp, Todd and I came to the decision that it is time to put our sweet 14 year old Chow Chow down. Katherine has never known life without him. We wanted to give her some time to spend with him this weekend and then it will be time. Katherine dreams of being a vet, knows all about what being a vet is about and that includes what is going to happen with Kody. It is much easier to see it on T.V or read it in a book than to have it happen to your beloved pet. She cried for HOURS tonight after we talked to her. It about broke my heart into pieces! Sometimes decisions are right, even when they are hard and this is a perfect example. We have known for awhile that this time was quickly approaching but it is difficult nonetheless.

I could end this blog right here... but I still have more to say tonight.


I have been having some "female" issues... nothing too serious but I am SUPER done with spending half of the month dealing with being a woman, if you know what I mean!! I called my ob/gyn this week and talked to the nurse about my issues. Dr. Daily ordered a pelvic ultrasound. My ultrasound was this morning and I don't have my results yet...not until next week. They are looking for cysts, tumors and/or cancer. All of which would most likely mean surgery. There aren't too many things that cause me anxiety. I usually take life as it comes without a lot of worry. While I am not really worried about the outcome (God is in control), the idea of surgery with 4-6 weeks of recovery is not so appealing to me. (Be careful what you wish for!) While thinking about the outcome and how it could affect my life and that of my family, something else happened. Several of my friends offered their immediate help... to come with me, to pray, to do anything I needed. Wow! I have long been known to everyone in my life as THE strong one, the one never needs help and rarely support (certainly NEVER emotional support). I am the one who others lean on. In my family, I am the rock. With my friends, I am the rational realist with a good head on my shoulders. You know what? I have never let people be there for me, even when they tried. I have repeatedly pushed them away and said "I'm fine". This week, I shared my anxiety with some friends to let them help carry my burden. I felt like a huge weight was lifted by just sharing how I felt. I always do these kind of things "alone"... I always have. I don't need people fussing over me or going out of their way to "be there" for me. My family isn't a real "I will go with you" kind of group. Well... 3 of my friends offered to go with me to the ultrasound. Really? Kelly offered first so that is who went... People dropping everything for me is new. WOW! I am just so blessed to have friends who care enough to do that for me. I am uncertain of what the future holds but one thing is sure, my friends will be there regardless. Worried? Anxious? Nope...I really am not because God has this whole life planned out for me and I pray to walk in His will. It is my prayer that YOU have friends that are there for you in all situations and never hesitate to walk the rocky terrain with you. I am so thankful for the people in my life that love me despite my imperfections and pray continually for me.

Friends For Life, Sisters In Christ! Our Dallas Adventure was AWESOME!

There are moments in time that you wish would stand still. I had many of those over the four days I spent in Dallas with Kelly on our birthday girls getaway adventure. It was so fun, so relaxing and I loved every minute. This blog is all about our Dallas adventure and the impact of our time together. It is sticky sweet in some spots so that is my disclaimer prior to reading!

I know I have written about my friendship with Kelly many times but if you have never experienced a sisterhood with someone then it is hard to explain the spiritual, intellectual, meaningful family connection we share. We can talk about the same topic for hours and still have more to say, more to ponder, more to understand. It is awesome. I never tire of our conversations. They inspire me to grow as a person and to study more.

We (I) decided to take a detour on the way to Dallas to stop at OBU in Shawnee. I had not been back since I graduated and WOW! Things have changed and grown. I enjoyed being able to share some stories and great college memories with Kelly. It was neat to share that with her. I would LOVE for her to show me Freed Hardeman where she graduated someday.

We can have fun doing ANYTHING...from following the GPS into a neighborHOOD (it could have been worse but it freaked us out a little) to driving for 40 minutes to find a toothbrush. I gotta say a little more about the toothbrush. I forgot to pack my toothbrush...I had toothpaste but not a brush. The first night, I brushed my teeth with my finger and a washcloth so on night #2, I was going to find me a toothbrush. Kelly found a kit (for purchase) inside the fridge in our hotel room. This little handy dandy kit came with a travel toothbrush, toothpaste and some other little trinkets for the bargain price of $4. Being who I am, I told her I'd find a better one for cheaper. We got lost trying to find more than one Target and finally ended up @ a CVS because all the stores were closed!! I found a toothbrush for $2.99 on sale (not a bargain after using $10 in gas to find it) and when I got up to the counter to pay, the clerk tells me the total is $4.32. I got so tickled that it was more than the one in the room that I started DYING LAUGHING and couldn't even tell her the price was wrong. I almost wet my pants before I got out of the store. Then as Kelly and I were trying to gain control of our laughter, my car sets the alarm and it starts going off LOUDLY. I guess maybe you had to be there but it was some FUNNY STUFF!!!!!

We had a GREAT time shopping!! We loved the Coach Outlet!! Kelly bought her first Coach bag and I was like a proud mama!! WOO HOO!! We shopped in Frisco, Allen, @ the Galleria and @ North Park Mall. We could have easily stayed a week just to shop in Dallas!! We ate at many AWESOME restaurants and finally got SMART on this trip and started splitting meals! DUH! It isn't rocket science but we have never done that before!

All of this fun aside, I have to write about what I thought were the best parts of this trip... at least for me.

~ Kelly's Birthday was on Wednesday but her celebration lasted 5 days this year. She thinks it is because we started celebrating on Wednesday and I just continued to give her a gift each day for the 4 days we were in Dallas. That is really not the reason it lasted for 5 days. It has been 5 years that our friendship has grown and been molded into what it is today. I wouldn't trade those 5 years for anything and so I made her birthday a celebration of our friendship formed and built over time. She brings out the best in me...almost always. She always brings out the deep thinker in me and challenges me in every way... for the better. I am so thankful for all she has taught me and encouraged me to learn on my own.

~ Our long talks at night... The first night, we talked for hours. Our honest discussions with brutal truth are sometimes a lot to digest but I always come away feeling like we are even closer friends than before we talked. I am generally an open book when I trust someone. Kelly, however, is not... and I have worked so hard to earn her trust and confidence. I know it is because she has never really had a close friend that she could share her true heart with. The walls have finally started coming down and I am so honored to be the one who is there to listen and understand when she shares what is on her heart. I always feel that we have learned something new about each other and shared something profound. I love our talks!

~ Prayer time... This is super personal but this is a blog, after all, so read on, without judgment. My desire is to be fully open here and share my heart with you in hopes that you might ponder the awesomeness of prayer with others. I prayed often with people all during high school and college. Quiet times and prayer times were some of the most meaningful things I remember about those times in my life. So...why do we, as adult women, not get together to pray? Why is it an awkward thing to suggest or do? I don't know honestly... I am asking. I strongly believe prayer is one of the deepest things two people can share because you are sharing your most inter thoughts with another person and you are sharing your personal relationship with Christ with them. Ever since last summer, when we started studying scriptures together, I have wanted to pray with Kelly. I never told her though and we never talked about it. Even though we have shared so much stuff over the last year and a half, prayer wasn't part of our friendship. Our first night in Dallas, we prayed together... and each night after that. I had forgotten how it felt to share this with a close friend. I feel as though we are closer now than ever before and that our faith will continue to bind us no matter where we go or what we do. I hope this inspires you to make the opportunity to include prayer as part of your close friendships. It is an amazing blessing and brings glory to God!

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Matthew 18:20

Our Dallas getaway was perfect. The time I spend with Kelly brings my focus on faith and God into clearer perspective. I know God has given us an incredible gift in each other and I will never take our sisterhood for granted. The glory is all HIS!

My daddy... I miss him.

There is lots of reflecting going on today. Eight years ago, my daddy passed away from this life at 4:30am. I can't believe how much has changed in my life in the last eight years and he has missed all of those things. I am sad thinking about the things he didn't get to share in and yet I am so very grateful that I had so many wonderful years with him. Katherine was just 2 when he died so she knows Dad in pictures but can't remember him in person. That is the hardest part for me... that my girls (Emma was born 4 years after his death), don't remember his voice, his laugh and his magical personality. If I close my eyes, I can remember his voice like he is standing right beside me. I can even remember how he would hug me tight and wrinkle up his nose at my mom...their special little love sign. I wish I had those things recorded so I would never forget.

Life has gone on...without him. He has missed out on my accomplishments which were only possible because of who he helped me become as a person. He missed Emma being born, oh how he would love her! He only got to meet a couple of my closest friends and he wasn't there when I was baptized. Although Mom is remarried, I know she still misses him every single day. I especially miss Daddy when I see the sun set. He loved sunsets and I always think of him when I watch the sun disappear, when the sky is a beautiful shade of pink and purple or a golden shade of orange. I think of Dad everytime I see Canadian geese. Guess what? They greeted me at church this morning. :)

This year has been a little harder, I don't know why. Sarah brought me roses on Friday... Dad always brought me/sent me flowers. That was the last gift he ever gave me... Red roses on my porch on my 30th birthday. It was so thoughtful of her to remember.

Kelly brought me a card this morning and a Bible charm. Although Daddy didn't always agree with everything I stood for...belief-wise, he always trusted my ability to come to the right decision about things and in that way, supported my love for church and Jesus Christ. He allowed me to come to the truth on my own.

When he would hear about silly arguments, he would always say, "Life is too short." It is too short and after he passed away, I made it my daily goal to live each day letting the people I love know that I LOVE THEM. I have been called sappy...so be it! Sappy I shall be because no one will doubt how I feel about them...ever. I also decided to stop putting things off that I wanted to buy or places I wanted to go. Hence, I wanted to go to Hawaii so I wrote a grant to do it instead of waiting for the money on my own. I love to spend time with my girlfriends and I love to travel so I have taken a lot more trips or weekends with them since then. Todd and I have gone on getaways because if we wait for the kids to be grown we won't know each other. I learned so much from my dad... to be confident, independent, strong, passionate, LOYAL, fair, determined, to stand up for what I believe and have evidence to prove it, to value family and to tell the truth even when it is hard. I am my father's daughter and a true daddy's girl. It is a lucky thing that I married a man who has many of his traits so get to see glimpses of him everyday.

Spring Break has come and gone...

We didn't plan anything extraordinary this year for break. Todd took a "guys trip" to Arkansas to ride trails. I was all about it being a guys trip... Can you really see me on a mountain bike riding with dirt and rocks flying?

Last year, we took the girls to Dallas for a few days. $1000 later, we came home so we decided to just stay put this year. I must say, I really enjoyed just spending it with friends and family.

I kicked off the week with Micah @ Pink House in Claremore. We had a delightful girlie lunch at the tea room and enjoyed some shopping for several hours afterward. It was great!! On Saturday, I spent 10 hours shopping for misc. things with Kelly. I only spent $50 the whole day but we had the BEST TIME with no schedule and no children. It was super fabulous! Sunday was church and lunch at Hideway with the Parrott's. It was a slow moving day and I took a nap. Throughout the week, I had lunch with Mom, went to the gym, took a long (4 mile) walk, but my favorite day was Thursday. The girls and I joined Kelly and her boys for lunch, park, shopping, park and dinner out. The kids had so much fun and it was very relaxing to have no schedule. It was almost like a tease of summer.

Todd was gone Wednesday through Friday. Our 16th anniversary was Friday but Emma was sick so we waited until Saturday to celebrate. ALL day Saturday and ALL of Sunday, I spent working on taxes and filing. My "TO FILE PILE" is POOF! I detest filing papers SO MUCH and that was obvious by the build up of stuff I had to organize but it is done! WOO HOO! What better time to get it finished when we were in the middle of a SPRING snowstorm!?

Tomorrow is the beginning of the end of the school year. 9 Mondays left and 9 Fridays left...45 days to go. Luckily I have a shopping adventure scheduled in the middle to get me through the crazy time of the year. For now though, I am going to concentrate on my students and trying to savor my moments with them as they will soon be gone and summer will be here.

Childhood...then and now.

Kyle, one of the members of our church, spoke before the Lord's Supper today about how busy we are in our lives. We are always in a hurry, on the move from one activity to another. We sign our children up for lots of different sports and activities so we are constantly on the move. Our lives are super scheduled and we rush from this week into the next. How true that is. Kyle encouraged us to slow down and think about what Christ did for us on the cross, instead of thinking about what was going to happen next.

This has been a really good, non-hectic weekend with nothing on the agenda. Today, I was thinking about how I spent my weekends as a child verses how my children spend their weekends. I grew up in mid-town, in the heart of Tulsa during the 1970's. I was part of a regular family with a mom and dad, a dog or two and a brother. We were such a happy and normal family. We spent time together, ate meals together everyday, talked about stuff...whatever we had on our minds and hung out playing games or playing outside during the weekends. We had pancakes EVERY Saturday around 10am and usually had biscuits with chipped beef gravy on Sunday mornings. I rode my bike and played on my swing set, played with my Barbies...usually with my best friend Becky. Life was simple and good. I don't ever remember being in a hurry or rushed from place to place. Although, I played softball, soccer, took gymnastics and ballet, was a part of Girl Scouts, and went to piano lessons... mind you, I only did one of these at a time. It sounds pretty awesome writing about it, I must say and it was.

    

Kristine in the 1970's

So...how is life different for my girls? Well... we aren't routined in our breakfast choices for one thing. I don't cook big breakfast meals and everyone just chooses for themselves. Unlike the description of rushing from activity to activity this morning at church, I have stuck with my parent's way of thinking that one activity is enough. Katherine is allowed to play one sport at a time if she desires but that is it. My mom didn't work and I do so that alone makes things more tricky... one activity per child still allows us to have family time each week together and that is important to me. My girls still play outside as often as possible... which Todd and I encourage. We are fortunate that they are not TV junkies and still want to be out and about. When I ponder the differences, two BIG things stick out to me...

Church... We go to church every Sunday. If you know me well or have followed this blog, you know this has not always been the case. We got off track when Emma was born and it took us 3 years to recover. There were many reasons for this but regardless, we are committed to our church and we attend every Sunday and Wednesday. My girls absolutely LOVE church. It is Emma's favorite thing! We almost always dine with our dear friends...The Parrott's following worship each Sunday. That sounds so traditional, doesn't it? I never had that experience as a child because we didn't go to church.

Our Church Home... Broken Arrow Church of Christ

Family Friends... I remember my parents having friends over a few times when I was a child but rarely. I can also count a handful of times that my parents ever went out alone without us. Mom and Dad were best friends... and really each other's only friends. They never went out with individual friends. Even as a child, I vowed I would have friends of my own as an adult. It is not that I don't value my time with Todd because it is very important to me and to our marriage. It is that I value, greatly, my time with friends who meet different needs than Todd can. Likewise, I encourage Todd to spend time with his friends doing stuff I don't so much enjoy. I think these relationships are important. I have also come to realize how meaningful it is to have another family to spend time with. Many of our weekends are spent with our closest family friends...David and Kelly and their boys. I never really knew what this kind of friendship could bring to our lives. I know, however, that when my girls can choose to stay home or go with the Parrott's, they almost always choose the Parrott's (Emma ALWAYS chooses that!). Perhaps it is the kind of relationship that larger families have where everyone gets together for Sunday meals... I don't know because that is not my life. What I do know is that my girls will always remember our weekends like this:

We spent time together. We went to Bible Class and church on Sunday and out to lunch with our friends every week. Mom and Dad both had friends that they cherished and spent time with. Sometimes, Mom and Dad went out to dinner alone or with another couple because it was important for them to have time together. Our times with our family friends were always fun, full of laughter and good times. If there was anything I needed, I knew Mom and Dad would be there... or David and Kelly because they were like our second family.

David and Kelly

We cherish our family friendship and are so thankful they are always there for our entire family.

I wouldn't trade my childhood... it was awesome but if I had the opportunity, I would add CHURCH and Family Friends because I can't imagine my adult life without either of them.

Spring is coming!

My favorite seasons are fall and summer... I can't believe I am writing 'summer'. I do NOT like to be hot but I ADORE pool time with my girls and my friends so it ranks pretty high! Spring is not my favorite because of all the rain involved and my WHITE legs! WOW! Here is what I like about spring:

~ The newness of the blooming flowers and buds on trees.
~ Summer is in sight and plans for summer adventures are beginning... I dream of my summer cruise EVERYDAY!
~ Spring Break..enough said!
~ Easter...not because of candy and bunnies but because of Christ My Lord!
~ April... there is usually a trip to OKC for running or shopping but this year, I have a different plan in mind but it is still in the works!
~ Capri pants AND flip flops are coming out!
~ Warmer temperatures
~ Tax refund....just being honest.
~ My anniversary... March 19th
~ spring cleaning...yes, I really look forward to that!
~ Tulips
~ Running outside
~ taking my girls to the park
~ More daylight

The Simple Things...

It is the simple things that brings me the biggest jolts of joy.

~ A pink and purple sunset
~ Emma's smile
~ Katherine's belly laugh
~ Todd's greeting when the girls and I arrive home after several hours gone
~ An unexpected snow day
~ an overdue chat with a dear friend
~ baking chocolate chip cookies
~ jeans day
~ Rocket Brother's Tea
~ Looking at my pictures from Hawaii
~ planning a trip
~ a note from a former student or their parents
~ an I love you and a hug from those closest to me
~ Date Night
~ going to church
~ friendship that never ends...just grows and deepens with each moment spent together

For all of the simple things, I am so thankful...especially today. :)

The warmth of winter

Where does the time go? January is half over already... We have only been in school 8 days this month so far because of ARCTIC temperatures! I am good with that unless we have a lot of snow days. We have 3 built into our school calendar and we have used 2 already. I will be honest... it is was nice to teach 3 days and then have a 4 day weekend after returning from Christmas Break. However working 5 days last week nearly killed me. Thank goodness for a 3 day weekend this week! :)

I am so not a fan of winter and cold. I am longing for pool days and summer fun. I know I will blink and it will be that time. This year, I am going to work extra hard on enjoying the moments life brings. I have been quite "reflective" over the last 7 1/2 years since Daddy has been gone but I am really going to work super hard on that this year. I am amazed at how fast my girls are growing up. I know my time with them is precious and will not last forever.

Blessed to have such amazing friends in my life!

I admit, it is difficult to not wish away winter because I am ready for the days of endless sun and tons of time with friends and family. However, I am going to hold onto the things that warm my heart for now in hopes of enjoying life's moments along the way.

Things that warm my heart in the winter...
~ Watching snow fall and cover the ground
~ Hot chocolate with peppermint candy cane stir sticks
~ Emma curled up with her blanket sleeping
~ Unplanned shopping trips that last all day
~ Seeing Katherine in her cozy socks
~ Sitting in church with my family
~ Singing in harmony...or trying really hard to stay on key!
~ Receiving a letter from the parents of my dearest friend
~ Snuggling up under my electric blanket with Todd
~ Naptime on a Sunday afternoon
~ Hot Tea with a sprinkle of sugar
~ Sitting in the sauna @ the gym
~ A roaring fire in the fireplace
~ Alabama Football ROLL TIDE!
~ Planning my summer cruise... Oh! I can't wait!!
~ Dinner out with my husband and dear friends
~ Baking chocolate chip cookies
~ Watching my girls make snow angels
~ Lazy weekends with unplanned fun adventures
~ Reflecting on days gone by and how much things change in a season

I am thankful, grateful and blessed. It is such a gift to live this life

and get to share it with those you love.

Blessed to have people I can always count on in my daily life!

2009 What a year!

What an amazing, life-changing year it has been. It makes me kinda tired just thinking about everything that happened in 2009. I must say, it was one of the most AWESOME I can remember. My family is closer and stronger than ever. My closest friendships have endured some emotional roller coasters over the last year... which I truly believe only builds strength as well as deeper understanding and care for each other. I am back in church... and I am LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT! I never really understood what a 'church home' or a 'church family' was. I am so blessed! I watched a rare and wonderful group of kindergartners walk out of my room in May...and into first grade. This school year has tested every bit of me... 27 children in one room is WOW! I am pushing forward and we are half-way through. I will say this is the first (AND LARGEST) group of students I have EVER taught who are ALL on grade level...ALL. That is an amazing thing if you have ever been a teacher!! This year, I became a 'real runner'. I think Kelly and I both earned that title when we crossed the finish line in April of our FIRST (not last) HALF MARATHON. There are no words and if you haven't run a race, I just can't explain the incredible feeling of accomplishment there is at the finish line... it is one of those moments you never forget. I have worked really hard at making this year one that holds no regrets. I don't know if I completely met that goal but I tried to always say what was on my heart at the moment it was there, to communicate honestly in every situation, to share my feelings at every opportunity (even if I was called 'sappy') and I worked to connect on a deeper level with all the people I value the most. 2009 was an incredible year. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to embrace the journey each day.

Happy 2010! I am blessed beyond measure and thankful for each day God grants me!